There are alternatives to covering with glass. I've seen posts showing covers made of eggrate as well as other types of mesh material. This will allow gas exchange and minimize heat issues at the cost of a slight loss of light effectivity, but even glass will diminish the amount of light getting into your tank. This is where your smaller tank may actually be a blessing in that light loss should not be a huge issue with your 150MH.
No absolute guarantee against jumpers with eggcrate either though. I've also read posts about smaller specimens somehow finding an opening through the eggcrate/mesh to go carpet surfing. Your damsel managed to hit a pretty small target as well, it seems. My tank is open and I'll keep it that way. I used to lay some acrylic pieces along the edge, but it became a chore to keep them clean and with insufficient bracing, the thin acrylic would warp and bow. So far I've had one casualty due to carpet surfing, a lawnmower blenny.
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